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Say it - and then say it again

By The Observer · Thursday, April 15, 2010

OK, so my teenage son convinced me to start watching "Chuck" on Monday nights a while back, and now I am unfortunately hooked on this comedy/spy thriller/mystery/romance. Chuck himself has become quite an endearing character, so you're always rooting for things to go his way, especially when he's trying to woo the impossibly attractive girl spy away from her impossibly handsome boyfriend-spy. A couple of Mondays ago, Chuck finally confesses his love for the beautiful and talented (if you consider expertise as a spy a talent) Sarah. He tells her that he loves her, and then he says, "Once more, just because it felt so nice the first time; I love you."

The Observer

Stop the soccer boom articles

By The Observer · Wednesday, April 14, 2010

It's time for the world's greatest sporting event: the FIFA World Cup. This quadrennial 32-team tournament pits some of the best footballing countries against one another to determine which country gets lift the most prestigious trophy in sports. I remember waking up in the early hours in 2002 to watch the USA take on Mexico and feeling elated when the stars and stripes came through. I remember watching America be one of two teams to score against the eventual world champions Italy in 2006. Now we reach 2010 and I am ready for another thriller of international soccer. But what's this? I suddenly see mainstream newspapers, television networks and magazines covering soccer like it's their job. They are all proclaiming soccer is about to take off in the USA! Or can we win the cup?

The Observer

In defense of baseball

By The Observer · Wednesday, April 14, 2010

Spring in the Midwest is exciting. The snow has finally melted (we think), the temperature has warmed up to bearable temperatures and the sun shines for more than 10 minutes per month. To me, though, the coming of spring has meant only one thing for as long as I can remember: the arrival of baseball season.

The Observer

The end of an era

By The Observer · Tuesday, April 13, 2010

I was talking with my Dad this past weekend about an op-ed piece in the Sunday New York Times entitled "One Man, Two Courts," by Linda Greenhouse. My Dad said,"If you were to tell me 34 years ago that when John Paul Stevens retired from the Supreme Court, he would be hailed as the leader of liberal wing, I would have thought you were crazy."  I don't believe his is an isolated opinion. As Greenhouse had explained, Stevens, a moderate Republican from Chicago, was nominated in 1970 by Richard Nixon to serve on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit. He was appointed to the Supreme Court in 1975 by Republican President Gerald Ford. When asked in an interview in 2007 if he considers himself to be liberal or conservative, Stevens stated "I don't think of myself as a liberal at all. I think as part of my general politics, I'm pretty darn conservative." How on earth then did a twice Republican-nominated judge become the voice of the liberal wing in the Supreme Court? The simple answer is that the meaning of being conservative has shifted, and as a result, the Court, not unlike this country, has become increasingly more conservative.

The Observer

A prayer for healing

By The Observer · Tuesday, April 13, 2010

Heavenly Father, In every age you restore the innocence of creation: In Winter you shower the dark earth with pure white snow, In Spring you cloak the ground in new life, In Summer you bath us in the warmth of Your Love, And in Autumn you refresh us with the breeze of your Spirit and new beginnings. Look with pity upon Your Church, sprung from the sacred springs of Baptism, And restore unto Her the innocence of the virginal bride of Christ. Send forth the cleansing rain of Your Healing Spirit upon those harmed by the actions of sinful priests, that they may have once again the joy of their inheritance as Your children. Fill with courage our Holy Father as he perseveres amidst blind hatred and false accusations. Make him a worthy and persevering shepherd to the flock You have given him. Have mercy even on those who deserve the least mercy — those wolves in sheep's clothing who used their authority to harm Your children. Save them from the hellfire their actions merit, and restore the dignity of the office they abused. For no soul, however wretched, is beyond Your mercy. Restore our innocence, O Father of Heaven, as we pray in the name of your Virgin-born Son, Christ the Lord. Amen. Todd Velianski freshman Keough Hall April 12

The Observer

Getting to the real issues behind HEI

By The Observer · Tuesday, April 13, 2010

In response to alumnus Mark Goodman's Letter to the Editor ("Being ‘anti-union' perfectly legal," April 8) I'd like to address some of his basic premises. Mr. Goodman attempts to respond to an article which states that HEI Hotels and Resorts is essentially anti-union for hiring an anti-union consultant. This is a premise that Mr. Goodman agrees with, but then makes the leap to say that the University need not concern itself with HEI because being anti-union is not inherently illegal. Mr. Goodman misses the point. Scott Malpass, the head of the Investment office, refuses to negotiate on the issue because he persists with the myth that HEI "is not anti-union in any way." Students concerned with our University's investment policy have brought up evidence time and again that HEI is anti-union, and alumni like Mr. Goodman have now corroborated that story. We do not argue that being anti-union is illegal, but that the manner that HEI goes about it is against Catholic Social Teaching and possibly the National Labor Relations Board. According to our moral character as an institution of higher learning and Catholic character, it is the role of the University to care about the protection of workers rights. According to the US Catholic Bishops, "The Church fully supports the right of workers to form unions or other associations to secure their rights to fair wages and working conditions." So long as the University keeps up the farce that HEI is not anti-union, our commitment to Catholic Social Teaching remains shallow at best. David Rivera junior off campus April 12

The Observer

A channel of pure thought

By The Observer · Tuesday, April 13, 2010

I spent the last summer away from home. The completion of the term sent me down and back up again through the country, living, for various reasons, with 11 different host families, nights beneath 11 alien roofs. During those hot and sunny months, I became acutely aware of my distance from places and people familiar. This awareness was not a shock or a burden, but an amazement at the distances to which I was now connected by virtue of the presence of my friends and acquaintances. To be honest, I liked the feeling that accompanied the knowledge that a zip code or the jurisdiction of a city no longer defined my world. Perhaps, then, my interest in composing and mailing enveloped letters was motivated by a desire to indulge this impression of worldliness, a desire to not choose the instant gratification of emailed conversation, a desire to comprehend the distances of the people to whom I was attached, distances measured in postage marks and days between my writing and the delivery of the response.

The Observer

The Finest scholars

By The Observer · Monday, April 12, 2010

We'd like to take this opportunity to clarify some omitted information from the article run on April 9 regarding Notre Dame's 2010 Truman Scholarship winners ("Two ND juniors awarded Truman Scholarship," Carly Landon). Both Puja Parikh and Beth Simpson are not only beloved Notre Dame juniors, but members of the finest dorm on campus, Farley Hall. Our congratulations go out to them and their fellow Finest scholarship winner Shayna Sura, recipient of the 2010 Goldwater Scholarship. Way to represent, ladies! We are so proud of you!

The Observer

Library will be fine under proper custodian

By The Observer · Monday, April 12, 2010

I wouldn't say that our library's future "hangs in limbo," for I believe the University leadership and faculty see the issues with greater clarity than "Future of Library hangs in limbo" (Sarah Mervosh, April 9) implies. Everyone supports Fr. Jenkins' aim to "become a premier research university" and "make ourselves a strong candidate for membership in the American Association of Universities" — and most of us realize that the Library is the area where the most work needs to be done. That will require a very substantial increase in funding as well as visionary leadership. But while every library director must be an excellent manager of both money and people, the most important credential we should be looking for is proven research experience: As at Harvard, Yale, Columbia, Chicago, Stanford, Johns Hopkins and other leading universities, our next University Librarian should have at least one graduate degree in a humanistic or social science field, in addition to any degrees and publications in Library Science. That is necessary to ensure that the coming library upgrades will be managed by someone who knows from experience how researchers use libraries and what a world-class research library looks like.

The Observer

Students uphold Notre Dame mission

By The Observer · Monday, April 12, 2010

As members of the faculty and staff at Notre Dame, we take seriously the University's mission statement, which says, "The University seeks to cultivate in its students not only an appreciation for the great achievements of human beings, but also a disciplined sensibility to the poverty, injustice and oppression that burden the lives of so many. The aim is to create a sense of human solidarity and concern for the common good that will bear fruit as learning becomes service to justice."

The Observer

Biking away from car culture

By The Observer · Monday, April 12, 2010

As of the 1990 Census, 46 percent of Americans lived in suburbs. Our generation grew up in this paved paradise, this transportation system built for cars, supermarkets and supersized, super-value anything. Their car-friendliness makes suburbs pedestrian wastelands and biking hazards.

The Observer

Time at The Observer

By The Observer · Monday, April 12, 2010

I first started working at The Observer during my freshman year. After high school, I wanted to try something new, and I figured the paper would offer me the opportunity to see all different parts of campus.

The Observer

Scientific basis for homosexuality

By The Observer · Monday, April 12, 2010

In response to "Exploring only human sexuality," (Michael O'Connor, April 9) I would like to assert the evidence, some of which can be gleaned from other animals, for a scientific and evolutionary basis for human homosexuality. O'Connor states that humans are significantly different from animals in many ways, the most significant of which lies in an awareness of right, wrong and consequences — essentially, the possession of morality. This, he claims, means we shouldn't use the homosexuality observed in nature to analyze human homosexuality. Though humans do seem to be unique in the development of morality, we must remember that we are animals, albeit the finely tuned end-product of their evolutionary chain. Just because our capabilities seem so superior to those of other animals, however, does not mean we are exempt from all comparison. What if homosexuality is hard-wired in some individuals, at a level as fundamental as or even more so than that of our own morality?

The Observer

Furthering the argument for Atheism

By The Observer · Friday, April 9, 2010

I am hoping we can continue this debate about the credibility of atheism and religion. I was hoping to ask my question about what authority the Bible has today, considering that it is supposed to be the Word of God, yet is clearly written by men seeking to further their agenda of repressing women and telling false tales. Such an example is the story of Jesus kicking the merchants out of the temple, which was explained to me in my Fundamentals of Theology class as entirely impossible since he would have been murdered on the spot for such behavior. Some may argue that the Bible has to be reinterpreted for each generation and each group of people, yet doesn't this picking-and-choosing behavior disagree with the theory that it is the Word of God? How can we reconcile these concerns? I also wanted to present my counter to Dr. D'Souza's assertion that morality cannot be a reasonable product of the evolution of humans. He described that altruistic behavior which does not directly benefit us does not make sense in light of what evolution would be more likely to produce. According to him, selfishness would be the best survival mechanism for humans. I disagree. Humans underwent a transition many years ago from small groups of hunter-gatherers to settle into agricultural societies. This creation of long-lasting societies necessitated the development of a moral code to ensure the society would prosper. An example is the members of society agreeing to not rob each other's houses. If each person took interest in theft, then the members of the society would have to invest resources and time into protecting themselves against crime. Rather than wasting a tremendous amount of resources protecting oneself, the members of the community agree to not commit crimes. Today this attitude persists, where only a small percentage of the population and are often punished for such behavior. In addition, this altruistic behavior is most apparent in the existence and proliferation of people with genetic diseases, some of which are deadly or debilitating. Evolution on Darwin's terms argues that such people should not live long nor reproduce, yet clearly something about human nature and technology has allowed these people to do just the opposite. Therefore I argue that morality is a product of evolution because living in societies is the better way for humans to reproduce and expand our territory, and we do not require a divine provider of morals to explain this. I do recognize that when two different societies do battle, the victor is not determined by the strength of the moral code, but by the number of fighters and technology. I want to extend my utmost gratitude to the coordinators of this event, as well as to Christopher Hitchens and Dinesh D'Souza for an absolutely astounding debate. However, for anyone seeking the best answer to all of the questions one can have on this topic, I highly recommend Douglas Adams' "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy." For anyone unwilling to read the book, the answer is 42.

The Observer

Exploring only human sexuality

By The Observer · Friday, April 9, 2010

In response to Professor Fuentes who wrote "Just the Facts" (April 8), the fact that homosexual activity occurs in other animals does not give us an appropriate context for discussing human sexuality. Humans are different than animals in very significant ways. Humans have a sense of transcendence or religion, a sense of the distant future, a sense of self-awareness and an ability to think abstractly. Animals, including our closest relatives like the Bonobo and the Chimpanzee, simply do not have these things. But probably the most important difference regarding this topic is our (human's) sense of consequences and our ability to differentiate right and wrong. Humans, unlike other animals, have ethics and morality. Simply because other animals commit certain acts does not give us a foundation upon which we can discuss the appropriateness for humans to commit those same acts. The fact that cannibalism occurs in Bonobo communities should not affect how humans view an act of cannibalism among humans. Similarly, the fact that monogamy is favored among wolves and foxes should not affect how humans view monogamous relationships among humans. In order to foster the conversation regarding human sexuality and sexual orientation, only facts about humans and human relationships should be conveyed.

The Observer

Recommend bands that need it

By The Observer · Friday, April 9, 2010

So, we know that no one reads the Scene section, so a lot of the absurdly misguided movie reviews and terrible music recommendations have gone by unnoticed and uncommented upon. But the absurd recommendation of supposedly obscure electropop bands ground our gears. There are electropop bands that actually deserve widespread recognition, not the wholesale Postal Service knockoff Owl City or a band that's been featured in a blockbuster movie's soundtrack. And are you seriously imploring us to "tap" tracks by international dance sensation La Roux who is in the top 40 in at least eight different countries? Give us a break. For your perusal, here are 50 electropop bands that are more deserving of recognition and esteem for you to "tap." These are bands that are not popular but deserve to be, so we won't be listing bands that are good but already have enough popularity like MGMT, Passion Pit, Animal Collective, etc. Hot Chip, Goldfrapp, Cut Copy, Crystal Castles, Ladytron, Air, Kleerup, Bat For Lashes, The Bird and the Bee, Black Moth Super Rainbow, M83, School of Seven Bells, F*** Buttons, Faded Paper Figures, STS9, Fol Chen, Four Tet, Free the Robots, Freezepop, Gameboy/Gamegirl, Hercules and Love Affair, High Places, jj, The xx, LCD Soundsystem, Neon Indian, Of Montreal, Panda Bear, Persephone?s Bees, Portishead, Yelle, RJD2, Dan Deacon, Royksopp, The Ruby Suns, Small Sins, Throw Me the Statue, Tiga, Empire of the Sun, Fischerspooner, Little Dragon, Memory Cassette, Prefuse 73, Boards of Canada, Yuksek, Annie, Anamanaguchi, FM Belfast, OH SNAP!!, and Santogold. To actually receive an education (read: not top 200 hits) in great music (not just electropop, but literally every genre), please tune in to WVFI on Monday nights at midnight to listen to the Electric Boogaloo, the greatest radio show to ever grace the netwaves of Notre Dame.

The Observer

All the Pope's Men

By The Observer · Friday, April 9, 2010

In 1974 Richard Nixon resigned from the presidency as a result of his role in a widespread cover-up of the criminal activities that his government had participated in over the course of his presidency. While the Watergate scandal exemplified corruption and created a distrust of our federal government, it also exemplified one of the great things about the American political system: accountability. The crook that ordered the cover-up had no choice but to resign. Over the past month it has been reported that the Pope and other leaders of our Church have been similarly involved in a widespread cover-up of criminal activities that members of the priesthood have been participating in over the past 60 years (and probably much longer). The circumstances surrounding the priestly cover-up, however, are much more troubling than those of Watergate not only because the original behavior is so much more heinous, but also because the leaders at the top are an important source of moral foundation for a billion people in our world. Currently I am working as a teacher in China through a Catholic organization, and before coming here I had to take "Creating a Safe Environment for Children" training. This training included several videos of interviews with sexual predators that described their tactics to make sexual advances towards children or to get themselves alone with children. Those of you that have seen these videos certainly remember how appalling they are. One man describes how he worked at a roller rink and how he told all the parents, "look how safe our roller rink is, no parents feel like they need to be here" and he went on to describe what he would do when he held children on his lap. Another man left pornographic magazines where children could see them, and would ask children what they thought of these magazines in order to begin his pursuit. I believe that men like this are sick and dangerous, and that they should be locked away in the coldest and darkest prison cell imaginable so that they can't possibly come into contact with children while they await their long journey to hell. Until recently I believed that reasonable people would agree with me in this assessment, but if we are to believe The New York Times (which I do) it appears that our Pope and other leaders of our church seemingly believe that the sexual abuse of children is no big deal. Reading these reports about the widespread sexual abuse problems that our church is undergoing disgusted me. It's one thing that a handful (okay, more than a handful) of priests practiced this abhorrent behavior, but it's a completely different (and more disturbing) problem that Pope Benedict and other Church leaders were seemingly involved in cover-ups stretching from Munich to Milwaukee that not only protected child-abusing priests from law enforcement, but allowed some of them to continue working with children in a priestly capacity Aren't we supposed to look to priests and Church leaders for moral guidance? Isn't the primary purpose of religion to create a moral system that allows humans to live together harmoniously? How are the rest of us supposed to understand the difference between right and wrong if the leaders of our religion, the religion of one billion people, did not understand that these priests needed to be removed from the priesthood and sent to prison? How did Cardinal Ratzinger not understand the severity of these crimes? The great success of Watergate is that it proved our political system works. While it certainly uncovered a disconcerting web of corruption and criminal behavior, it also proved that our system has the capacity to remove a president that can no longer credibly lead our country because of his activities. The problem with the Catholic religious system is that it has no such mechanism. I believe that the Pope is no longer able to credibly lead our religion because of his complicity in this cover-up and his continued refusal to address the allegations in a forthright manner, but even if every Catholic agreed with my assessment, we have no ability to force a change. The great travesty of all this is that because the scandal has now engulfed the Pope, it unfortunately impacts all of the men that serve under him. In the same way that American's trust of our government was thrown into question as a result of Watergate, our trust of the Church and the institution of the priesthood is now in jeopardy because of the actions (and inactions) of the Pope and other leaders. Catholics should therefore demand that this Pope resign from his position not only because he now lacks a credible moral basis for his leadership, but more importantly because his continuing role as leader of the church threatens to destroy the foundation of our trust in the Priesthood and general opinions and perceptions of all the good men working under him worldwide.

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